Former NRL half signs contract extension with Wakefield

Any NRL fan will tell you that his time in the NRL whilst breathtaking based on some of the performances he had, it was equally turbulent – as Tim Smith puts the previous tough road behind him and signs a contract extension with English Super League side, the Wakefield Wildcats.

Smith, who was the 2012 Wildcats Man Of Steel and the Members Player of the Year, was already signed up for the 2013 season, before player and club made the decision heading into pre-season training, to extend the deal by a further year until the end of 2014.

Whilst times were turbulent for Smith during his NRL career, he seems to be finding his groove at Wakefield, finishing second on the try assists chart with 34 in total, and scoring 6 tries.

For Smith, who is enjoying his footy at the club, he is excited that he has an additional year to focus on footy, instead of worrying about where he will be at season’s end.

â€œI am really happy and itâ€™s all about security signing for an extra year. We had a successful season and the club is certainly going somewhere and I really am happy here,â€ said Smith.

â€œWhen you are in this game you donâ€™t want to be on one year deals because you donâ€™t know what is around the corner, so I am delighted to get it done and Iâ€™m looking forward to the next two seasons playing under Rich Agar.

â€œWe won seven games in a row at the end of the season but to be honest I really enjoyed the whole year, not just that period. At the start of the year we werenâ€™t too far off and it wasnâ€™t like we were getting flogged, because it was just small margins we let ourselves down. Once the season progressed and we got to know each other, we reaped the rewards for that in reaching the play-offs.â€

Smith will be joined by fellow Australian Justin Poore at the club, who is recently coming off stint with the Parramatta Eels.

â€œI know â€˜Pooreyâ€™ from playing together as schoolboys and from obviously being a big player in the NRL. I think heâ€™ll be really good for us and something we need as a team moving forward, and his leadership will be needed at some stage too.

â€œIt is always good to get achievements like I picked up at the end of the season but to get in the top eight was the real achievement, and Iâ€™m hoping we can go one step better next season. As long as we have a consistently good showing, the results will look after themselves. I am eager to get started.â€